July 09, 2011

This in-depth guide to mastering eBook production takes you through every step in the process of creating an eBook, from setting up the InDesign document to exporting an EPUB file that can be read on a computer, smartphone, Apple iPad, or Sony Reader. You'll also learn how to edit an eBook, customize its navigation, and create scalable images, as well as how to validate an EPUB file to ensure that it's error-free and fully compliant with the EPUB specification. Click here to learn more about the video and purchase it…

July 21, 2010

Adobe recently published a new white paper that gives you an overview of the new EPUB export features in InDesign CS5. There are several powerful new features and enhancements that significantly improve your productivity and give you more control over the creation of EPUB files. One of my favorite new features is the ability to control the reading order of text and graphics in an EPUB file by basing the export order on the XML structure of your InDesign document. I also love that you can now automate chapter breaks by simply referencing the first-level TOC entries in a TOC style. This saves you all the hassle of breaking up a large document into multiple InDesign documents, which then have to be combined together within a book file. You can download the PDF from Adobe.com…

April 12, 2010

By: Chad Chelius

Well now that the cat is out of the bag so to speak, we can finally introduce you to some of the great new features found in Adobe InDesign CS5 that will really help you work more efficiently and more creatively. This article focuses on the new Live Corner Effects feature. This intuitive and easy-to-use feature provides a more fluid method for modifying the corners of frames while providing immediate visual feedback in the process.

Corner effects have been around for many versions, but there has never been an easy way to apply corner effects to anything but all four corners of a frame. A script that ships with InDesign allows you to quickly apply corner effects to one or more corners, however when the frame is transformed, the corners become modified as well—forcing you to start over from the beginning. Fortunately, this is all about to change! Let's take a closer look at the new Live Corner Effects feature in InDesign CS5.…

April 10, 2010

I'm pleased to introduce you to a new and very talented contributor to this website. Chad Chelius is an Adobe Certified Instructor who teaches classes on Adobe applications throughout the United States. He specializes in InDesign and InCopy workflows. In fact, he's been using InDesign since it's release in 1999!

Chad has contributed to many books on Adobe print applications and is the author of Mac OS X Snow Leopard Digital Classroom. He's served as the lead consultant for major InDesign migrations and Digital Asset Management implementations for clients such as Rodale Press (publishers of Prevention Magazine, Runner's World, and multiple other magazine titles), and the publishing group of the National Geographic Society. He's skilled in all aspects of print production, working with automation, and XML.

With Chad's skills and background, you can be sure that his contributions to this website will be full of invaluable information!

February 16, 2010

On Thursday, April 8, 2010, I'll be delivering a webinar that teaches you how to export an InDesign document or book file as an eBook that can be read on a computer, smartphone, or dedicated eBook reader. Along the way, I'll be sharing a ton of tips and tricks for properly setting up a document that can be successfully converted to an eBook. To register for the webinar, click here.

Here are some of the highlights:

Export an eBook in the EPUB file format.

Learn the differences between PDF eBooks and EPUB eBooks.

Correctly format text for an eBook.

Optimize Images for an eBook.

Utilize cross-references, hyperlinks, and footnotes.

Manage sections and chapters with a book file.

Create a table of contents.

Understand what will and what won’t export to an EPUB file.

CS Magic is hosting the webinar. CS Magic webinars and training give you a variety of choices to learn Adobe Creative Suite software—from basic through advanced—taught by Adobe Certified Experts. To see what other webinars CS Magic offers, click here.…